There is evidence that people with CF may have differences in the liquid that lines the surface of their lungs from people without CF. There are two things that are known to be different. One is called bicarbonate secretion, which is the movement of a salt called bicarbonate that is normally present in the blood and lung fluid in all people. The abnormal movement of bicarbonate appears to cause a second abnormality - the liquid in the breathing tubes has more acid than the liquid in patients without CF. These differences may affect the stickiness and thickness of the mucus and limit how well the hairs that line the breathing tubes (cilia) move mucus out of the lungs.

Recent studies in a group of patients with chronic cough looked at the effects of giving an inhaled bicarbonate solution (sodium bicarbonate instead of sodium chloride) on the study subjects' ability to cough up mucus. Compared to the group given inhaled saline, the patients given inhaled bicarbonate were able to cough up approximately three times as much mucus. No clinical studies have looked at whether inhaled bicarbonate improves the ability of the lung in a person with CF to move mucus out of the lung or how this treatment affects lung function in patients with CF.

Eligibility

Ages Eligible for Study:

12 Years and older

Genders Eligible for Study:

Both

Accepts Healthy Volunteers:

No

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

age 12 or older

Forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) >40% predicted

Ability to expectorate sputum

Exclusion Criteria:

pregnancy

pulmonary exacerbation or initiation of inhaled or oral antibiotics, steroids, or aerosol treatments within the last four weeks

oxygen saturation <92%, or requirement for supplemental oxygen

Contacts and Locations

Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study.
To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the Contacts provided below.
For general information, see Learn About Clinical Studies.

Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00177645